Boston and Lowell Railroad

The Boston and Lowell Railroad (B & L) is a former railway company in Massachusetts, New Hampshire and Vermont ( United States). It existed as an independent company from 1830 to 1887 and management of the Boston and Maine Railroad until 1918. Today the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority operates the main line of the B & L between Boston and Lowell as Lowell Line.

History

Foundation

The city was founded only four years earlier Lowell in 1826 awarded the city right after had settled there many textile mills. The city grew rapidly - in 1830 there were already more than 6,000 inhabitants - and soon led to the desire for a quick connection to the nearby port city of Boston. Until the construction of the railway the goods on the Middlesex Canal or on the road had to be transported. As the capacities of these transport routes were quickly exhausted and the first American railroad, which had been opened in Quincy south of Boston in 1826, was well proven, the manufacturers decided Lowell, also to build a railroad. Unlike the model in Quincy, however, they should be operated from the beginning with locomotives that could be imported from England.

First, the operator of the Middlesex Canal bucked against the threat of competition, however, the government could not help but admit that a railroad could operate all year round and allowed far higher capacities, while the operation of the channel was dependent on the weather. Thus, the interest group on June 5, 1830 received permission to build a railroad between Boston and Lowell and at the same time permission to create the Boston and Lowell Railroad, which was completed three days later. The contract included a 30 years lasting transport monopoly, which prevented other companies were able to build railroads between the two cities. The residents along the route population and industry acquired large shares of the Company, whereby the construction could be funded quickly.

Construction of the main line

In order to reduce construction costs and travel time later, they tried to build a track as flat and curved arm. This could not be directly connected to the cities of Medford and Woburn. Medford was later joined by the Boston & Maine to the railway network, Woburn by the Woburn Branch Railroad. The opening of the standard gauge railway Boston Lowell was held on 24 June 1835. The final stop in Boston was on the western corner of today's North Station. In Lowell there was the last stop on the Merrimack Street. It was not until 1842 intermediate stops were introduced, which increased the total travel time.

For reasons of cost used to build the first single track, a track bed of granite, which caused by lack of flexibility a very troubled car running. After a few years saw himself obliged to incorporate wooden sleepers, so as to increase the driving stability. At the same time the entire route was expanded to double track until 1841.

Overloading of the main line

1836 opened the Andover and Wilmington Railroad, a branch line to Andover that branched in Wilmington from the B & L mainline. This branch constituted the nucleus of the main line of the Boston and Maine Railroad, which from 1843 to Portland. Between Boston and Wilmington, this company used with the route of the Boston & Lowell. Since the density of traffic on this section was very high, it always came back to the fact that the trains of the Boston & Maine in Wilmington had to wait long to take the route to Boston can. Soon the Boston & Maine, therefore, decided to build their own route to Boston parallel to B & L. In court, the Boston & Lowell failed so to sue their associated sichertes monopoly, as this was only for transportation between Boston and Lowell, but not for parts of it. 1845 opened the Boston & Maine their route via Reading and put the link in Wilmington shortly afterwards still. 1874 built the Boston & Lowell on a little further east route own route to Wilmington Junction train station, since it enables a shorter connection to the 1858 bought in Salem and Lowell Railroad was that crossed the Boston & Maine route there. This link was first called Wilmington Branch, contributes today but the term Wildcat Branch.

Acquisition and construction of additional routes

The Woburn Branch Railroad was established on March 16, 1844 built a branch line from Winchester to Woburn, which was opened in 1844. At the same time B & L took over the company and ran the track as Woburn Branch. On April 23, 1847, the B & L founded the Woburn Branch Extension Railroad, the north should be connected to the main line the route of Woburn again. The route, however, was only opened in 1885. In Woburn also branched off a 1.06 km long freight line to the Horn Pond, which was built by founded on May 7, 1852 Horn Pond Branch Railroad and opened in 1854. Operator from the beginning was the Boston & Lowell. On this route transported the B & L only ice cream, which was won in the winter in the Horn Pond. In 1919 the decommissioning of the Horn Pond Branches.

1858, the B & L leased the Lowell and Lawrence Railroad, which had operated in addition to their regular route to Lawrence and the Salem and Lowell Railroad. With the Stoneham Branch Railroad another adjacent to the mainline railway branch in 1862 and was initially leased to the same parts of the B & L and the Nashua and Lowell Railroad ( N & L). It was not until 1870, the B & L bought this car. In the same year they also acquired the Lexington and Arlington Railroad and then built a new link from Somerville to this track. The Middlesex Central Railroad opened in 1873, the western extension of this train to Concord and was leased by the B & L at the same time. 1883 was the final takeover.

With the north adjoining the main line of the B & L Nashua & Lowell is first entered into a cooperation agreement with effect from April 1, 1860 to the joint operation of the total distance and eventually leased the B & L N & L on October 1, 1880 for 99 years. Thus, the B & L took over the leases at the same time, the N & L had completed on their own with the Stony Brook Railroad, the Wilton Railroad and the Peterborough Railroad. In 1882, the B & L acquired half of the shares of the Connecticut River Railroad. The other half initially acquired the Concord Railroad, but B & L leased this share from 1 July 1884 to 1 December 1885.

The competition with the Boston & Maine took the late 1870s to the grotesque. In order to obtain direct access to the center of Lawrence and not to have to share the B & M route, built the Boston & Lowell for their range Lowell - Lawrence a bridge over the Merrimack River and a new terminus. Both new buildings were opened in 1880. 1874, the Boston & Maine had in turn opened their own route to Lowell.

The Boston, Concord and Montreal Railroad ( BCMR ) had extended a distance from Concord to the north and a continuous connection to Woodsville built. The Northern Railroad of New Hampshire operated the route Concord - White River Junction ( Vermont). The Concord and Claremont Railroad had a stretch of Concord starting to Claremont and a branch line. On 1 June 1884, the B & L leased these three companies and also took over the existing with the BCMR lease agreement with the Pemigewasset Valley Railroad and existing with the Northern contract with Peterborough and Hillsborough Railroad.

1885, the B & L built a line from Billerica to Bedford, linking the main route with the route of the former Middlesex Central. The route lay partly on the track bed of the disused narrow gauge 1878 Billerica and Bedford Railroad. In the same year the B & L leased the St. Johnsbury and Lake Champlain Railroad, a year later, on October 1, 1886, the Central Massachusetts Railroad, and on January 1 In 1887, the Connecticut and Passumpsic Rivers Railroad in Vermont and the Massawippi Valley Railway in Quebec, with the Boston & Lowell expanded its operations to Canada.

The end of the Boston & Lowell

Following the abolition of the use of the Boston & Maine Entgelter the revenue of the route declined abruptly. On top of that, the textile industry in Lowell always less produced. The acquisitions further weakened the financial strength of the company. On April 1 In 1887, leased the Boston and Maine Railroad, the company for 99 years. She took over the management on 11 October of the year. On 26 November 1918 the companies merged final.

1973 acquired the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority, the former B & L original route Boston - Lowell and operates since passenger services on this route. On December 15, 2001, the first launched the " Downeaster ", an express train service Boston - Portland Amtrak, which used to Wilmington Junction the route of the former B & L. Most branch lines of the Boston & Lowell are now closed. In operation, located next to the track Boston Lowell nor the northern extension of this route to Nashua, the former Lowell and Andover Railroad, the former main line of BCMR between Concord and Plymouth and the section Nashua Bennington of the former Connecticut River Railroad.

Route network

At the time when the operation guide on the Boston & Maine passed, on 11 October 1887, the Boston & Lowell operating the following routes:

Sources and further information

• Edward Appleton (Massachusetts Railway Commissioner) History of the Railways of Massachusetts ( copy as HTML). Bulletin No.. 1 - The Railroad Enthusiasts, Inc., in 1871.
• George H. Drury: The Historical Guide to North American Railroads 2nd Ed. Kalmbach Publishing Co., Waukesha, WI 2000, ISBN 0-89024-356-5

• Page of today's operating company (English)
• Side of the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority (English)
• Boston & Maine Railroad Historical Society (English)

• Former Railway Company (Canada)
• Former Railroad Company ( Massachusetts)
• Former Railroad Company ( New Hampshire)
• Former Railroad Company ( Vermont)